We have evaluated the response of the Earth biomes to drought using a new global dataset that
captures drought effects on vegetation at various time scales. We show that arid and humid biomes
are both affected by drought, and that the time scale on which droughts most intensively affects
vegetation plays a key role in determining the sensitivity of biomes to drought. Arid biomes respond
to drought at short time scales because plants have mechanisms allowing them to rapidly adapt to
changing water availability. Humid biomes also respond to drought at short time scales, probably
because there plant species show a poor adaptability to water shortage. Sub-humid biomes respond
to drought at long time scales because plants are adapted to withstand water deficit, but they lack the
rapid post-drought recovery observed in arid biomes.